Korean Air has been ordered to pay 20 million South Korean won - roughly £14,000 - to a flight attendant who was subjected to a torrent of abuse from an executive for serving her macadamia nuts in a bag instead of a porcelain bowel in 2014.

Cho Hyun-ah, who was serving as Korean Air's vice president, demanded that the flight return to New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport so that the attendant could be ejected from the plane.

She was later arrested for breaching air safety laws and sentenced to a year in jail, serving three months before being released.

Cho Hyun-ah (pictured) may also be liable to pay 30 million won (£21,000) for her verbal assaults on the attendant

The 'nut-rage' episode, where Cho made two flight attendants kneel and apologize, triggered international outrage across South Korea and resulted in Cho's father dismissing the heiress from the company.

In response to the outrage, the South Korean government passed legislation that increased penalties for poorly behaved passengers.

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The flight attendant attempted to sue both Cho and Korean Air for a sum of 400 million won (£280,000), but the Seoul Western District Court ruled that Korean Air had to pay 20 million for coercing the attendant.

Cho may also be liable to pay 30 million won (£21,000) for her verbal assaults on the attendant.

News of the court ruling arrives at an inauspicious time for the Cho family. Earlier this year, police raided the Cho family homes amid claims they used Korea Air, which they own, to smuggle goods.

At the same time as the police raid in April, it was discovered that Cho's mother, Lee Myung-hee, was under investigation for allegedly abusing her staff.

Cho Hyun-min (pictured) was probed by police amid claims she threw water at a business associate during a meeting

This pattern of abusive behaviour in the family also extended to Cho's sister, Cho Hyun-min, who was probed by police amid claims she threw water at a business associate during a meeting.

Following eight years of marriage and four years after the 'nut-rage' incident, Cho Hyun-ah's husband filed a divorce suit in Seoul that same month, requesting custody of their twin children, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean media reports have cited anonymous tips from airline employees that the Cho family smuggled foreign goods into South Korea by disguising them as corporate assets. A Korean Air spokesman said the family is fully cooperating with the investigation.